Also, I've never changed a tire on a vehicle this heavy, how do I go about doing it? Do i need 2 bottle jacks rated @ ~1/2 the gross weight? Can i just jack up corner to change a tire? If I install 4 manual scissors jacks for leveling, can they do double-duty for changing tires?

Those scissors jacks are intended as stabilizers, not as leveling jacks. They won't support the weight and you can twist the frame if you aren't careful. Either use the blocks for leveling or get true leveling jacks.

The easiest way to change a large tire is to have a road service like Coach-Net and call them. Don't jack a corner or you'll twist the frame.

I just did all 8 on mine went to harbor freight and bought a 12 ton and use it with a 4 ton to lift the front. Just got to find the right spot to put the jacks. The back oneside at a time I had to use the 4 ton to get it high enough to get the 12 ton under then used it to get the height. NEVER use the scissor jack to lift the tires off the ground . You can get a set on E-bay I bought set for old RV they were 30" and 7,000lbs rating . I could have picked it up with them . My new one had them on it but I just took them off they were rusted solid . I kept my other ones and will see if they will work down the road. You can buy a bit that fits into drill it will speed taking them up and down but you will still have to use a crank if they need more than just touching the ground. I found the best way was to try and get close to level and just use them to help with the rocking. With 5 kids it never would stay still without them .

You can reasonably change tires up to about the 16" size. I'd use a bottle jack rated substantially higher than half the max axle weight, e.g. an 7000#-8000# jack for a 10,000# axle. You will probably need some wood blocks too, since most bottle jacks do not have a long shaft and cannot lift very far. And you need a BIG lug wrench, since the bolts are torqued tightly, well over 100 lb-ft.

A large 16" tire and wheel are going to be around 100 lbs. Getting it off the spare mount (and getting the old one back on) is going to be arduous and dirty.

You can reasonably change tires up to about the 16" size. I'd use a bottle jack rated substantially higher than half the max axle weight, e.g. an 7000#-8000# jack for a 10,000# axle. You will probably need some wood blocks too, since most bottle jacks do not have a long shaft and cannot lift very far. And you need a BIG lug wrench, since the bolts are torqued tightly, well over 100 lb-ft.A large 16" tire and wheel are going to be around 100 lbs. Getting it off the spare mount (and getting the old one back on) is going to be arduous and dirty.

thanks, Gary. Good point on the weight of each tire, I'll have to mess around w/ the spare and see if I'm up for the task. I have a cordless (electric) wrench capable of 1400 ft lbs of torque; this is def going into my RV toolbox.

Cordless is NOT going to do it. I was using air impact and there were several it could not break loose. I ended up standing on a cheater bar and even had to bounce a few times( 240lbs) so I can't see anything cordless even coming close to that much force. Find yourself a big four way lug wrench and PRAY you never have to change it. Me I'm gonna call somebody to come do it if it's on the side of the road.

^^ As stated above, Roadside Assistance is DEFINITELY worth it when it comes to changing RV tires. These things aren't like flipping a new tire onto your Honda Civic in 10 minutes. Even my 16" LT tires + wheels are quite heavy and difficult to maneuver around. Getting them lined up just right and on/off an 8-lug hub are something that I was happy to watch someone else do, the one time I had a roadside blowout.

I keep hearing this...does everyone mean there are no scissors jacks made to lift >1/2 my axle weight?

Wouldn't this depend on what my gross weight is, and where I choose to place the 2 jacks (to lift 1 side evenly)?

The largest capacity scissors jacks I could find with a search are rated at 2 tons, not near enough to lift most RV axles safely. The scissors jacks typically fitted to an RV are for stabilizing only, not lifting, but we've told you that already.

Cordless is NOT going to do it. I was using air impact and there were several it could not break loose. I ended up standing on a cheater bar and even had to bounce a few times( 240lbs) so I can't see anything cordless even coming close to that much force. Find yourself a big four way lug wrench and PRAY you never have to change it. Me I'm gonna call somebody to come do it if it's on the side of the road.

Perhaps a better understanding of the types of impact wrenches available today would help

Most heavy-duty air-wrenches can generate a few hundred lbs of torque, max. A 1" shafted monster of an air wrench I once read of claimed it could generate 1,500 ft/lbs of torque, though it might rip your arm off to use it.

But, there are some compact Li-Ion powered cordless impact wrenches on the market now that can generate more torque then MUCH larger air wrenches, and with no impact to the wrist of the user. It is not a hammer-drill action, and is aided by a very swift clockwise-inertial dampening system. It is hard to believe without firsthand knowledge.

The largest capacity scissors jacks I could find with a search are rated at 2 tons, not near enough to lift most RV axles safely. The scissors jacks typically fitted to an RV are for stabilizing only, not lifting, but we've told you that already.

Thanks; the weight rating was the explanation I was looking for. The RV I'm looking at has no stabilization jacks, so the explanations involving frame-mounted "stock" jacks really weren't relevant to my question.

I just pulled the fronts on our 31' Coachman to check the brakes. Getting the gumption to work on the chassis seems daunting. However, I've found that it really is surprisingly easy to work on. There are no issues doing one corner at a time...AS LONG AS YOU USE THE AXLE and NOT---NOT the FRAME as a lift point. As Conquest aka Robert did, I also used a 12 ton bottle jack. I also used two jack stands. I did one corner at a time. I had no issues breaking the lugs with the OEM tire Iron. It's really not that different from working on a small car...better in most respects as there is room to work...but everything is big and heavy.

Although I'm quite comfortable changing the tires in the driveway, I'd be way less enthused to do the same on the side of the road. Thumbs up for road side assistance.

But, there are some compact Li-Ion powered cordless impact wrenches on the market now that can generate more torque then MUCH larger air wrenches, and with no impact to the wrist of the user. It is not a hammer-drill action, and is aided by a very swift clockwise-inertial dampening system. It is hard to believe without firsthand knowledge.

My mechanic was showing off his new wrench to me last week. Only 12v but really packs a punch and relatively compact. Can't remember the brand name.

I have been amazed at my Milwawkee Li-ion impact wrench, and amazed at the complete absence of wrist strain. A kid could hold this thing. I was told by a guy "in the know" Milwawkee Li-ion is the new top dog in cordless tools--expensive, but doing some unprecedented things out there!